Even As The Seasons Change
by freeflight
Summary: [Four-shot] Even as the season's change, we will always be together. Part 1: Seto was seventeen when he realized he loved her.


_You are a gentle summer morning of t-shirts and bike rides, never unbearably sticky and always keeping the sweet, lemonade peace._

* * *

Kousuke Seto had liked Ayano ever since he had met her. Maybe it was the motherly way she carried herself, maybe it was her kind words of encouragement, maybe it was the games they played together or the way she always made sure he felt comfortable. Something about Ayano Tateyama fascinated young Seto, and he relished in the warm protection of his big sister.

"I hurt everyone," Seto blurted out to her one day, tears tumbling down his cheeks, his palms lined with little red scratches. "It was my idea to explore past the creek, and now Tsubomi and Shuuya are hurt."

"No, no," Ayano had hummed under her breath as she cleaned the cuts on his hands with an alcohol swab. "It's no one's fault, much less yours."

"The little fawn ran away," Seto hiccuped. "I wanted to talk to her, and I wasn't thinking about the others, and it's- it's all because I'm a monster!"

Ayano's hand hovered above his, and the girl looked deep into the young boy's eyes. "Never say that again, Kousuke-chan. You are not a monster."

"But everyone always gets hurt because of me," Seto retorted weakly, his voice faltering.

"Do you _want_ to be a monster?"

"Of course not," Seto replied.

"Then don't," giggled Ayano, pulling out a thin strap of gauze and winding it around the boy's hands. "Then don't."

* * *

Seto had liked Marry ever since he met her in the forest that day. She wasn't mature like Ayano was, nor did she have Ayano's independence or go-get-it attitude. But like that older sister, Marry was timid and clumsy and sweet. Seto saw pieces of Ayano in Marry, and for a grieving boy, it was the most comforting thing anyone could ever ask for.

Seto was seventeen when he realized he was in love. He had long stopped seeing Marry as someone else; she was her own person, and he appreciated her for it. He liked the way she carried herself- with a quiet sense of duty that seemed reminiscent of someone else but composed of something all her own.

Marry always walked on the tip of her toes. She never forgot to water her flowers. She was playful in a way that surprised the others. Marry tired easily, and Seto found that he often had to carry her during one of the Dan's excursions. Marry liked the color pink, raspberry tarts, and good books.

Seto liked animals, long walks, and the summertime. He also liked Marry.

* * *

Marry was waiting for Seto when he came back from work that night. Seto unlocked the door to the Dan hideout and entered the living room with his messenger bag on his left shoulder and a bouquet in his right hand.

"Welcome back!" Marry greeted instinctively, closing the book she had been reading and placing it upon the coffee table.

"Haha, I'm home!" Seto half-cheered.

Marry looked quite shocked at the sight of such a large amount of flowers. "Seto? Why are you holding so many flowers? Did you buy them?"

"It's just some leftovers from the florist," Seto explained quickly, seeing Marry's surprise.

"They're carnations," was all Marry said.

"You can tell?"

Marry tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Of course I can. They're my favorite."

"You can have them, i-if you'd like."

Seto stuck the bouquet out in front of him, effectively masking his embarrassment. Marry took the carnations from his hands, ruining Seto's not-so-perfect cover-up in the process. Seeing the redness of his cheeks, the girl couldn't help but blush as well.

"W-we ran out of eggs," she squeaked, trying to change the topic. "And the flour's dangerously low. Do you think we can go to the grocery-"

"I love you."

Silence.

"Seto-san?"

"I… I love you."

"Of course. I love you too! And I love Kido, and Kano, and-"

Seto shook his head. "No. Not like that."

He had gone and said it, hadn't he? The words faltered in Seto's mouth like a stolen breath. Where was his voice when he needed it the most? Where was the Seto who knew what was good to say and what ought not be said? Where was the Seto whose gentle words comforted his family when they were hurt? Because right now, for some inexplicable reason, Seto simply did not know what to say. When it came to Marry, Seto was left completely speechless. But he remembered something Ayano used to tell him as a child.

"_When you are lost, just listen to the rhythm of your heart, and it will tell you what song it sings._"

"I love you," Seto began, and he could hear the melody in his heart swell louder and louder with each and every word he spoke. "Not the way I love Kido or Kano. Not the way I love Shintaro, or Momo, or Ene, or any of the others. Not the way I love the animals that run in the forest or the way I love summer mornings. And not the way I loved Ayano. I love you, Marry, because you are special. You are special to me, and yes, I will bring you to the supermarket. And we can buy eggs and flour and whatever else you need, and I-"

The messenger bag slid off Seto's shoulder and fell to the floor, and the boy hid his face with his hands. Marry hid hers behind the bouquet of carnations. They stood like this for what seemed to be an eternity, until a small voice broke the silence.

"I love you too."

Seto's eyes widened, and he let his arms fall to his sides. "H-how so?"

"I love you the way I love you," Marry said simply.

She peeked her head out from behind the bouquet. Seto felt his blush intensify as his eyes met hers, and they quickly broke off any eye contact. After a couple more seconds of silence, Seto heard a small giggle.

"A-about those eggs?"

He forced himself to look at Marry- hazel eyes and pink eyes, a tall boy and a fragile girl. They loved each other. And at the end of the day, that was enough.

Seto picked up his messenger bag off the ground and turned to smile at Marry. He supposed they were dating now; they'd have to make an announcement to the others about it. Perhaps they'd be married one day, maybe even have kids and their own little home. But for now, the fridge was empty, and well, they needed eggs.

"Off to the grocery store it is!" Seto exclaimed.

Eggs… and love. That was all there was to it.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, first off, two shoutouts: **

**1) Icyswablue! He/she (heh, sorry) is an incredible beta! Go check out his/her profile if you need a beta, because he/she makes the most awesomesauce suggestions and corrections EVER! Then again, Icyswablue might be busy at the moment... doesn't hurt to try, though! **

**2) Whispey. You can find her on both Deviantart and Tumblr. She's the artist for the story cover (or what used to be story cover, as I plan to switch up the image for every chapter). Currently, it's her amazing digital painting titled "Deer Prince". Isn't it just so pretty? Why don't we all just take a moment to admire its pretty-ness?  
**

**Anyways... I plan to have three more installments in this series! Hope you like the first one! Constructive criticism and general feedback are welcomed with open arms! See you next time!**

**-freeflight**


End file.
